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I did something dumb yesterday and missed my morning dose of meds and when I realized what I had done I took them around 3pm yesterday. Not a very smart thing to do because at 9pm I took my pm meds and felt like I was going to pass out. I had trouble sleeping and breathing last night.

I will try and not miss taking my meds ever again. Also if I miss a dose will not ake another one until the end of the day.

I need you to understand that these HIV medications require good adherance to keep the level of medication at a certain level, circulating in the blood stream. A missed dose is not necessarily a good thing, but it won't kill you. As you have observed in your post, you now understand that to bunch them up is also not good, due to the stress on your liver and other organs that process the chemistry.

In your life, living with HIV, you will find that you are going to miss dosages once in a while, and the worst thing you can do is to punish yourself for it. I have been admitted to the hospital more times in the last 10 years, than in the rest of my 59 years, and never have I done so without them missing at least two dosages. It just happens. I have adjusted to the Hospital environment, and now when I am admitted, I always take my own medication box with me. They hate me for it, but damn them, this is my body.

Don't worry Jerry, you will do fine.

In Love and Support.

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The Bible contains 6 admonishments to homosexuals,and 362 to heterosexuals.This doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals, It's just that they need more supervision.Lynn Lavne

Don't feel bad, even those of us who have been taking meds forever still screw up now and then ! Today, I realized that I had TWO Viramune in with my lunchtime medicine....so I expect that when I get home I will find that the one for tonight is missing from the box....I must have accidentally dropped it in the wrong slot.

See you next week!

Alan

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"Remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard of Oz

It must be international miss-a-dose week or something. After 5 months of faithful pill-popping, I missed my first dose on Monday evening. Sleep does get in the way, from time to time! I wish I can say I didn't stress about it - because I know that compliancec is half the battle. I'm glad to know from my doctor, and from the sage advice here, that missing a dose does happen and that the best thing to do is just continue on with the next scheduled dose (in most cases).

It reminds me of when I was learning to drive standard and my father told me that one day, one day, I would forget which pedal was which. Sure enough, the prophecy came true and I sailed right through a four-way stop. When I broutgh the vehicle to a halt on the other side, I was shaking and really annoyed for having lost control. If only he had given me the kind of advice that people are chiming in with here. "Son," he should have said, "if you forget which pedals do which, just stand on any two of them!"

I miss my first dose last night and when I realized it I took them right away. I just hope I don't have that drunk feeling all day.... I missed sustiva and truvada and you suppose to take them before going to bed.

Anyone think, I'll have a problem?

oakmax

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Go with it and KEEP MOVIN! Life is good today and I am glad to be here

Just curious, how exactly do you define 'miss a dose'? Like, do you take it @ the exact minute daily, or within the hour? What if you're 3 hours late in just one day? I try to take mine within the 30min frame but sometimes i just forget 'bout it.

IMHO, i think it's 'good' I dare to forget it & behave as if i was healthy, not good practice but it happens <once a year so i don't feel too guilty. The pressure can get too much if i don't release the steam once in a while. Of cos, i don't do it intentionally.

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And so it has been, and so it is written On the doorway to paradise That those who falter and those who fall Must pay the price

Jerry,As others have said, adherence is important. But my pharmicist with the clinical trials said that missing a dose once in a great while isn't going to be a giant deal. It is unlikly that resistance would develop from that. He also told me that if I do forget a dose that if it is closer to the time I should have taken it, then take the dose, but if it is closer to the time for the next dose than when I should have taken it, then skip the dose. Again, missing doses is not recommended by any professional, but life is life and sometimes it may happen. I'm on Sustiva, Videx EC and Epivir and my Pharmacist said that a 3 hour window on dosing was considered adherent. That may just be for that combo though.

And OakMax, I actually take my Sustiva in the morning around 6 AM and have no problems. Hope you didn't have the drunk feeling very long if you had it at all.

Very surprise no problem, took my missed dose this morning at 7am and went back to bed for a couple of hours. Nothing, no drunk feeling, whatsoever after getting up. I also notice that other night, I took the meds and thought about something I needed from the store, drove to the store and no drunk feeling. Came home and went to bed, like normal. I think after a while your body get use to drugs.

If things continue like this, can you imagine what could be next in theimprovements for drugs. Start Atripla in a couple of weeks. One pill a day....

I LOVE THIS SITE for all its members, it keep me together! THANK!

Oakmax!

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Go with it and KEEP MOVIN! Life is good today and I am glad to be here

There are some of us who deliberately miss our doses. Shawn Decker for one. Read his blogs. He is starting a regimine of one week on, one week off. One week on drugs and one weeks off drugs.

I miss a dose about every 10 days. Deliberately. For a number of reasons. One, I'm trying to stockpile a backlog for those emergencies when I can't get my meds. Two HAART is still in its infancy and long-term effects have not yet been measured. Who is to say 100% adherance is the only way to fight off resistance. Three, cost. Maybe this last reason shouldn't be considered, after all we're talking about our health, right? But still, even thought I'm on ADAP and Ryan White covers the costs, I still get the willies when I think just how expensive they are. That's just me.

I'm hesitating posting this, but what the hell, it's the truth, and I'm still alive. I miss a dose EASILY once a month. I do the best I can. I just forget. I always tell my DR and he always asks. But Hell, I'm alive after 22 years. I know its bad, but I must say, I have never shown any ill effects from doing so. I have never stressed when I miss doses. The stress and worry can do more damage then missing A dose. I'm not saying it's a great thing to do, and I don't do it purposely. But I'll be damned if I'm EVER gonna beat myself up over it.

Don't beat yourself up too much over it. It happens to everyone. The trick is to not make a habit of missing doses.

I know the first time I missed a dose of combivir, I was sitting on a bus on my way to a ten hour internship with absolutely no way to get back home to take my meds. I got all panicky and sweaty, but in the end, I was still undetectable the next time my viral load was done.